People wait outside a newsagents in Paris on January 14, 2015 as the latest edition of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo goes on sale. (AFP Photo / Martin Bureau) / AFP

A record 3 million copies of the new edition of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo have appeared on French newsstands, with new caricatures triggering outrage among Muslims all over the world, and threats from radical Islamists.

British radical preacher Anjem Choudary, who is allegedly
connected with armed militant groups, decried the new edition as
an "act of war" and a "blatant provocation."

Many mainstream Muslim organizations also reacted by saying that
the mere depiction of the prophet is a sacrilege: Egypt's Islamic
body Dar al-Ifta branded the publication "an unjustified
provocation against the feelings of 1.5 billion Muslims,"
AFP reported.

"This edition will result in a new wave of hatred in French
and Western society. What the magazine is doing does not serve
coexistence and the cultural dialogue Muslims aspire to,"
Dar al-Ifta said in a statement.

Sunni Islam's most renowned center of learning, Al-Azhar in
Cairo, said that the cartoons "stir up hatred" and
"do not serve the peaceful coexistence between peoples."

Tabnak, a conservative online outlet in Iran, wrote that
"Charlie Hebdo has again insulted the Prophet."

Meanwhile, threats immediately appeared on militant websites,
urging for more protests against the magazine and anonymous
threats from radical Islamists, SITE Intelligence Group, a
US-based terrorism monitor, told AP.

However, French Muslim leaders have urged members of the Muslim
community to remain calm.

"What is uncomfortable for us is the representation of the
Prophet. Any responsible Muslim will find it hard to accept that.
But we shouldn't ban it," said Abdelbaki Attaf, an
administrator at the mosque in the Paris suburb of Gennevilliers.

The French Council of the Muslim Religion and the Union of French
Islamic Organizations have released a joint statement, asking the
Muslim community to "stay calm and avoid emotive reactions
that are incompatible with its dignity... while respecting
freedom of opinion," The Local reported.

Hammad Hammami, head of a big mosque in east-central Paris, told
The Local that his congregation “don't want to throw oil on
the fire” and “consider these caricatures to be acceptable.”

Charlie Hebdo’s lawyer Richard Malka told French radio that the
publication would “not back down, otherwise none of this has
any meaning."

"If you hold the banner 'Je suis Charlie,' that means you
have the right to blaspheme, you have the right to criticize my
religion," Malka added.